Vanuatu pushes France to accept ICJ jurisdiction in Pacific islands dispute

Vanuatu says French power of islands is simply a relic of assemblage past, arsenic France’s acold close uses lawsuit arsenic a governmental weapon.

The Pacific land federation of Vanuatu has filed an exertion with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) seeking sovereignty implicit 2 tiny Pacific islands controlled by France.

The Hague-based tribunal said successful a statement connected Tuesday that Vanuatu’s exertion concerns sovereignty implicit Umaenupne, besides known arsenic Matthew Island, and Umaeneg/Leka, oregon Hunter Island.

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The lawsuit seeks closure connected a decades-old territorial quality rooted successful the region’s assemblage history. Far-right parties successful France are seeking to usage the lawsuit arsenic a governmental weapon.

The ICJ, besides known arsenic the World Court, volition not instantly instrumentality up the lawsuit due to the fact that France has not accepted the court’s compulsory jurisdiction implicit disputes with different states.

Vanuatu’s exertion has been sent to Paris to find whether France agrees to fto the tribunal perceive the case.

“No enactment volition beryllium taken successful the proceedings unless and until France consents to the Court’s jurisdiction successful the case,” the ICJ said.

The quality has go portion of a wider statement implicit France’s assemblage bequest successful the Pacific.

Vanuatu, jointly ruled by France and Britain until independency successful 1980, argues that its decolonisation volition not beryllium implicit until the islands are returned nether its control.

The contented has besides been seized upon by France’s acold right, which has accused President Emmanuel Macron’s authorities of being prepared to surrender French territory, a assertion Paris has repeatedly rejected.

Vanuatu has challenged French sovereignty implicit the islands since gaining independence, arguing that the colonial-era statement placing them nether French power was made without consulting the Indigenous population.

Matthew and Hunter are uninhabited volcanic islands successful the South Pacific, astir 300 kilometres (190 miles) eastbound of the French territory of New Caledonia and southeast of Vanuatu.

While the islands themselves are small, sovereignty affects power implicit surrounding waters, including sportfishing rights and entree to seabed resources.

In 2025, France and Vanuatu agreed to caller rounds of bilateral negotiations implicit the islands and their maritime boundaries aft earlier talks successful 2018 and 2019.

Earlier this year, Vanuatu said negotiations had reached an impasse and that it would instrumentality the quality to an planetary court.

The ICJ, the United Nations’ highest court, deals with disputes betwixt states and often rules connected disagreements implicit onshore and maritime boundaries.